Liam Neeson has made a fairly spectacular profession out of displaying up in films the place you wouldn’t essentially anticipate him. Earlier than 2008’s Taken, few would have pegged Neeson as an motion hero. Later this summer time, he’ll choose up the mantle of the nice Leslie Nielsen in a reboot of The Bare Gun, testing his comedy chops like by no means earlier than. However might you think about him taking part in Fezzik in The Princess Bride? I am undecided I might, and the identical appears to have been true of the fantasy movie’s director.
Actually, such a casting by no means got here near occurring, in line with Neeson. Nonetheless, he did technically audition for the position. Talking with EW, Neeson admitted to feeling embarrassed when he confirmed as much as audition, as director Rob Reiner gave him a “look of disgust.” As for why the acclaimed filmmaker was lower than happy with him, Neeson stated the next:
It is very true. He turned to the casting director and stated, ‘I requested for an enormous.’… No ‘Good day,’ ‘Thanks for coming.’ Nothing like that.
Whereas Liam Neeson himself was certainly a bit upset by the entire expertise, he says he truly felt unhealthy for the casting director. The position would, after all, would go to an precise large in skilled wrestler Andre the Large, who was a full foot taller than Neeson. It’s unclear how many individuals of Andre’s stature there even have been to audition.
Neeson isn’t a small man, at 6’ 4” tall, however he definitely would have wanted important digital camera methods to make him look large in comparison with a six-foot-tall Cary Elwes. It’s unclear how Neeson was known as in to audition for a job if Reiner solely wished “actual” giants for the a part of Fezzik. Maybe different individuals who weren’t giants had additionally been known as in, resulting in extra “disgust” from Reiner.
Issues definitely turned out effective for Liam Neeson. He would seem in one other cult basic, the Sam Raimi-directed movie, Darkman, simply a few years after this failed audition. Additionally, in 1993, he would star in Schindler’s Listing, a film that might see him nominated for an Academy Award and really launch his profession into the stratosphere.
It’s definitely intriguing to marvel how Neeson showing in The Princess Bride might need impacted the film, by no means thoughts simply his profession. It might have been one in every of his largest roles to this point had he been forged. After all, thefilm initially flopped in theaters earlier than changing into a cult hit on house video later.
The Princess Bride (which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription) would have been one of many funnier roles in Neeson’s profession if he had gotten it. Maybe it might have led to extra comedies earlier. Because it stands, although, his new lead position in The Bare Gun might be one thing we haven’t actually seen earlier than, however, at this level, it appears clear Liam Neeson can do something, besides be an enormous.